A dispensing optician who failed to declare a sexual assault conviction has received a nine-month suspension order from the General Optical Council (GOC).

In a decision published on the GOC website, the optical regulator found that Yorkshire-based practitioner Dilesh Gohil’s fitness to practise was impaired by his criminal conviction for sexual assault and by misconduct relating to his failure to declare this conviction to the GOC.

Mr Gohil was convicted for non-penetrative sexual assault and received a nine-month community order in 2016.

Fitness to practise committee chair, Sara Fenoughty, highlighted that Mr Gohil had departed from the relevant standards in respect of being honest and trustworthy, and ensuring that his conduct does not damage public confidence in him or the profession.

“However, he had shown a willingness to work to ensure that there would be no repetition of his misconduct and had shown remorse and some insight,” she stated.

“He did not demonstrate deep-seated attitudinal issues which were incompatible with continued professional registration,” Ms Fenoughty elaborated.

“The registrant had shown capacity to develop insight and could be someone that could return to safe practice after a period of structured suspension,” she concluded.

Mr Gohil has until 21 February 2019 to appeal his suspension, during which time he is suspended from the register under an immediate suspension order.